Documentary to trace Santa Cruz County mass murderer

Convicted mass murderer John Linley Frazier leaves the San Mateo County courtroom in November 1971 with a glance in the direction of the jury which had just found him guilty of five counts of murders. He is flanked by San Mateo County sheriff's deputy and follows his attorney, James A. Jackson. Frazier was convicted of murdering Dr. Victor Ohta, his wife Virginia, his sons Derrick and Taggart, and his secretary Dorothy Cadwallader, Oct. 19, 1970.

SANTA CRUZ -- A British television crew visited the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office on Thursday for an upcoming documentary about convicted murderer John Linley Frazier.

The footage is expected to air on "Born to Kill?" on British television and on "Twisted" on the Investigation Discovery channel in the United States.

"Each show focuses on a different case and asks the question, 'Nature or nurture?'" said Neil Edwards, the show's director.

In October 1970, Frazier killed Dr. Victor Ohta, his wife Virginia, his sons Derrick and Taggart, and his secretary Dorothy Cadwallader at Ohta's home in the Soquel Hills. Frazier was convicted of first-degree murder in 1971 and sentenced to life in prison.

He hung himself in prison in 2009.

Edwards said his crew also made similar TV documentaries about two other Santa Cruz County serial killers from the 1970s: Herbert Mullin and Edmund Kemper.

Deputy April Skalland, who facilitated the crew's visit to the Sheriff's Office, said she had seen both programs and was happy to help.

Edwards and assistant producer Tom Weller shot b-roll footage of deputies answering phones and driving patrol cars, among other shots. They plan to spend about five weeks in the U.S. during the project.